Hermès Fall 2010: What We Learned in Paris

The skin is the thing. When you look at Hermès this fall, forget Mrs. Peel from The Avengers, the bowler hats, the fact that there were enough black leather and umbrellas to suggest a group of fetishists doing an S&M remake of Singin’ in the Rain. At its best, Hermès, under the direction of Jean Paul Gaultier, could come up with chic looks like this—a burnished brown leather top and kilt under a black coat devoid of all fastenings and detailing. The story here lies in the way one texture plays off another. And that that kilt is one of the best of a season of skirts doing the Highland Fling.